College and Career Readiness

PSA Parents, Students, and Staff,

For my October blog I’d like to discuss college and career readiness. When many of our teachers were in middle and high school, there was a big push for college-readiness. With today’s generation, there is still that push, but additionally, there is a growing push for career-readiness. Career technical education plays an important role in engaging student interest in a variety of career pathways. PSA is striving to increase our career technical education courses.

This year we have added a Cybersecurity course for our high school students. This course is offered off-campus at the new “County ROP Cybersecurity Center.” We have 23 students in the course this year who are learning about how to protect internet-connected systems from cyberattacks and unauthorized access to data centers and other computerized systems. In addition to our new Cybersecurity course, we have added a Protective Services course, where students are learning about career opportunities and skills needed to be a correctional officer. This year our Dispatch class has been a-g approved, so it is recognized as an approved college-readiness elective course. 

As of this school year our career pathway courses include those listed above, as well as the following: Fire Science, Emergency Medical Response, Police Academy, Administration of Justice, Law and Justice, English 9: Bullets of Truth, English 10: Reading, Writing, Law and Public Safety, English 11: Literacy, Advocacy and Public Services, and 12th Grade Government and Cybersecurity.

It is our hope that by offering these courses, students will gain interest in public safety service careers and pursue these careers after graduation.
 
—Mrs. Stickel, Principal